New Delhi. Only Light Motor Vehicle license holders cannot be blamed for road accidents. There are other reasons for accidents also. With this comment, a five-judge bench of the Supreme Court ruled that Light Motor Vehicle (LMV) license holders can drive transport vehicles lighter than 7500 kg.
The Supreme Court bench has upheld its 2017 decision, in which LMV license holders were allowed to drive transport vehicles up to 7500 kg, i.e. LMV license holders have got relief from the Supreme Court. Now LMV license holders will be able to drive transport vehicles weighing up to 7500 kg. In case of an accident, insurance companies will not be able to refuse to pay the claim. A bench of five judges of the Supreme Court gave its verdict on the question whether a driver holding an LMV license has the right to drive a commercial vehicle weighing up to 7,500 kg?
On this, the CJI-led bench had reserved its decision while completing the hearing on August 21. The bench includes Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, Justice Hrishikesh Roy, Justice PS Narasimha, Justice Pankaj Mithal and Justice Manoj Mishra. The Supreme Court said in the decision that road safety is a serious issue globally. 1.7 lakh people likely to die due to road accidents in India in 2023. In this regard, it is baseless to say that all this happened because of light vehicle drivers. There are many reasons behind this like not following seat belt rules, use of mobile, being drunk etc. Driving requires special skills and requires concentration and avoidance of distractions to negotiate road conditions.
The bench said that this decision of the court will also help in making insurance claims by light motorists who drive vehicles weighing less than 7500 kg. The licensing system cannot remain static, we hope that appropriate amendments will be made by the Government to remove the existing loopholes and the Attorney General has assured that the same will be done.